Compared to English spellings, Polish is easy. You just pronounce it the way it looks (every letter is sounded).
CSSHEGEWISCHCompared to English spellings, Polish is easy. You just pronounce it the way it looks (every letter is sounded).
The Polynesian languages are similar. That includes all of the vowels. Faafetai (Samoan - "thank you") is five syllables.
Of course, diphthongs are always fun.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Long ago I spent a year in the easternost part of Congo, where they spoke a simplified form of Swahili. No dipthongs. Strictly phonetic. Say every vowel (ex: "taa" = light, pronounced "tah-ah"). Say every consonant. Odd grammar, but very regular, so once you get the hang of it, most all the words work the same way.
afternoon
Damp and windy here in Nw Ohio.Ns has an eastbound coal train in the siding.They also sent a big mixed frieght east after I got off work.Chores and such to do here.
stay safe
Joe
Deshler Ohio-crossroads of the B&O Matt eats your fries.YUM! Clinton st viaduct undefeated against too tall trucks!!!(voted to be called the "Clinton St. can opener").
CSSHEGEWISCH Compared to English spellings, Polish is easy. You just pronounce it the way it looks (every letter is sounded).
And Spanish. You can look at any word that you have never seen or heard before and know exactly how to pronounce it. The only exception is "X". It's usually the same as in English, but in "Mexico" and "Texas" it's pronounced like "H", and in Aztec and Mayan words it's pronounced "SH".
English is crazy. How do you pronounce "ough"?
Though. Through. Thought. Tough. Bough. Cough.
_____________
"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
Concerning English, how would you pronouce "Taliaferro," as in the town in Northwest Georgia? I understand that the natives say, "Tolliver." And, I know of a personal name, "Prioleau"--which is pronounced "PRAYlow"--don't ask me to explain; I simply know the fact. I hope the family quit perpetuating the name; I knew of three men in the family with it; I saw two of them (cousins), and one of them was Prioleau, Junior.
Johnny
Paul of Covington And Spanish.
You have to watch a few things - "J" and "LL", f'rinstance. For some reason, it took me a little while to figure out I was looking a signs on the highway for "La Hoya..." (La Jolla) And there's the "N" with the mark over it as "NY" in canyon. Cabrillo I learned early during my time on the left coast.
One such item in Samoan that give people the fits is the "G" in Pago Pago. The totally uninitiated pronounce it "Pay-go Pay-go." Folks somewhat familiar with the pronunciation will say "Pang-oh Pang-oh." In reality, it's more like "Pongo Pongo," except the G isn't as hard as in pang. It's hard to explain.
Back when I was much, much younger, I read something like that when a printing press being shipped to the place, someohow all of the type with the letter "g" was lost--so the printer could not spell the name fully.
tree68You have to watch a few things - "J" and "LL", f'rinstance. For some reason, it took me a little while to figure out I was looking a signs on the highway for "La Hoya..." (La Jolla) And there's the "N" with the mark over it as "NY" in canyon. Cabrillo I learned early during my time on the left coast.
Only a problem if you try to apply English rules to Spanish words. In the alphabet I was taught, "CH", "LL", "Ñ", and "RR" were separate individual letters with unique pronounciation. "CH" is same as English. "LL" is like "Y" in Latin America and like "LY" in Spain. "Ñ" is like "NY". "RR" is a drawn-out roll like a motorboat.
tree68 Cabrillo I learned early during my time on the left coast.
Cabrillo I learned early during my time on the left coast.
FWIW, Cabrillo was Portuguese and his name should really be pronounced cah-brill-o. The again, Poway is pronounced Pow-way, but should be pow-I and Otay is pronounced O-tie but should be pronounced O-tay - so sayteh the late, geat Bob Dale (long time San Diego TV personality). Bob also pointed out that Palomar Observatory is on Palomar Mountain, which SciAm and SciNews used to get right and Sky&Tel still does get right.
There's some confusion as to the origin of the name "La Jolla" which is both the name of the community in the City of San Diego and an indian reservation near Palomar Mountain.
rain/snow mix here in Nw Ohio.Ns had a stack train in the siding.They also had cars shuffled around uptown.Gave hugs today and will be giving more tomorrow.Chores to do.
Carl will like this. I spent the last two days in a safety class. Much of it was reviewing and discussing videos (including from forward facing cameras) and pictures of past incidents. Some happened on our railroads, some on others. One incident involved complacency while following another train in signalled territory. Signal indications were mentioned in the narration and/or narrative on the screen. Each time in this, and actually when mentioned in any of the incidents, in this class a flashing yellow aspect-proceed prepared to stop at the second signal, etc-they called it an Advanced Approach. I finally said it's Advance Approach, no "d" on the end. There's a lot of employees who do that. You would think (at least I do) that they would use the correct name in their presentations.
Jeff
jeffhergert You would think (at least I do) that they would use the correct name in their presentations.
A presentation is the product of its author, of course.
Sometimes a word just sounds wrong to someone - they can't wrap their head around it. So perhaps "advance approach" just didn't ring true for someone, and "advanced approach" thus entered their vocabulary, and that of a lot of other people who learned from them.
Then, again, back when I was working, we were required to put our initials on our time cards for any time off we took - sick, vacation, etc. So, we would "initial" our time cards. I had one supervisor who never used a nickle word when a quarter word would do, and would pay you a visit to have you "initialize" your time card.
Anyone who's done any computer work knows that "initialize" means to return variables to their starting values. I didn't think the supervisor would appreciate it if I took an eraser to the card...
Both Jeff and Larry are correct, and I encountered both types in my career.My best personal story about this was a pastor we had who from time to time would refer to "imbondagement" (or maybe I was misunderstanding "embondagement"). Why not just "bondage"?So I went home and put an imbandagement on a paper cut I had acquired...But yes, "advanced approach" would get a grimace from me every time.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
Often, what we hear at home when we are growing up takes precedence over what we are taught in school. I recall various schoolmates who, despite what our teachers repeatedly told us, still spoke in the way their parents had learned from their parents....
Ns had a MoW truck roll by.The local was also uptown when I left work.Came home to clean up and go give more hugs.Looked at Fc one the way home.Csx dropped some cars off to be scrapped.The ND&W has a few boxcars in the siding.They are probably waitng for CSX to pick up.Chores to do.
tree68 jeffhergert You would think (at least I do) that they would use the correct name in their presentations. A presentation is the product of its author, of course. Sometimes a word just sounds wrong to someone - they can't wrap their head around it. So perhaps "advance approach" just didn't ring true for someone, and "advanced approach" thus entered their vocabulary, and that of a lot of other people who learned from them. Then, again, back when I was working, we were required to put our initials on our time cards for any time off we took - sick, vacation, etc. So, we would "initial" our time cards. I had one supervisor who never used a nickle word when a quarter word would do, and would pay you a visit to have you "initialize" your time card. Anyone who's done any computer work knows that "initialize" means to return variables to their starting values. I didn't think the supervisor would appreciate it if I took an eraser to the card...
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
For several years now, I have gone back to the South at least once a year to talk with people who know how to talk. Going on six years ago, I was on the Skilled Nursing Floor here, and the speech therapist tried to correct my talking (The physical therapists and occupational therapists did get me back to being on my own.). About two years ago, she and I were talking, and I asked her if she gave up on me back then, and she said she had.
Accents can be a challenge. I have no real problem with various British and Commonwealth accents, caused by too much time handling a rugby ball; or with Polish accents, caused by growing up where I did.
Various American accents can be interesting, especially when you realize that both you and the person on the other end of the phone can barely understand the other person's accent.
CSSHEGEWISCHVarious American accents can be interesting, especially when you realize that both you and the person on the other end of the phone can barely understand the other person's accent.
I once saw a reply to someone who complained that us Yankees could only speak one language, while many Europeans were fluent in several: "I speak a pretty good New Yawk, my Texas isn't bad, and neither is my New England. I can get by in California, but the deep south bamboozles me..."
Or something to that effect.
Off to the big Amherst Railroad Show in Massachussetts. If you happen to be there, stop by the Adirondack booth in the Better Living building. I'll probably be in uniform. I'd say I'd be the tallest one there, but our volunteer coordinator is taller...
More snowmelt today.Ns sent a westbound stack train when I left work.Chores to do.
joe
Had a nice chat with Randy Stahl at the big train show in Springfield this morning, thus meeting another denizen of the Forum.
Kalmbach has a booth, but no one from Trains is staffing it. I did stop by briefly.
tree68 Had a nice chat with Randy Stahl at the big train show in Springfield this morning, thus meeting another denizen of the Forum. Kalmbach has a booth, but no one from Trains is staffing it. I did stop by briefly.
Indeed , It was nice chatting with you and your crew, I may see you this summer. They are making me take my vacations...
More snowmelt today.Csx was running trains today.Back to work tomorrow.
Congratulations, Larry, on meeting Randy! I am officially jealous!(We are thinking about a mid-South tour sometime this year...not sure whom I could meet up with on this.)
Snow squalls here in Nw Ohio.Ns ran a westbound with mixed power and mixed frieght as well.The local was working uptown as well.Tonight going to local college.Seems they are going to open classes at Matt's school where he can get college credit.And it's free.I told Matt yes you may.Chores to do.
CShaveRR Congratulations, Larry, on meeting Randy! I am officially jealous!(We are thinking about a mid-South tour sometime this year...not sure whom I could meet up with on this.)
Back from the big show (finally). Stopped in at our yard, and then our office to say Hi, and bid our executive director fairwell, and ended up in a two hour meeting on communications issues. I am so ready for bed. I can't handle those long drives like I used to.
Ns had some cars from the local in the siding.Going to do chores.
Only got about 4" of snow, but I didn't feel like shovelling so I fired up the snowblower. Six passes up and down the driveway and I'm done. It was so fluffy I almost put the machine in "road gear..."
When the engine first fired up, something came flying out of the exhaust. On closer inspection, it was sunflower seeds.
Apparently, some varmint or bird wanted their own private stash. It's gone now.
It's not like I don't keep seed available all winter (upwards of 30 Lbs a week).
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